Summer Rain
by Thordis Valentina
Summary: She whirls in on me, her clear blue eyes wide with horror at the gooey mess of yellow slithering down my lap. Immediately, her hand flies to her mouth then she is struggling with all her grocery to find a handkerchief...


**Disclaimer: **I do not own Kingdom Hearts, but I do own the OC.

**Author's Note:** Edited slightly and reposted. I was bored and there wasn't a lick of story I had finished, so I whipped up a quick Cloud/OC oneshot. If you happen to dislike OCs, please hit the back button on your browser. Thank you.

**Victim(s):** Cloud Strife, Squall Leonhart  
**Summary:** Why did it have to be his friend?  
**Challenge: **Write a love-triangle between three characters from first person perspective.

* * *

**  
Summer Rain  
**_Thordis Valentina_

Summer has come to Radiant Garden for the third time since Leon and the others had begun their restoration process. Most of the time, I don't do anything and sit in the shadows to watch Aerith's gentle smile, Leon's silent vigor, Merlin and Cid's hot and cold efforts, and Yuffie's energetic shouts of encouragement. Sometimes Sora, Donald, and Goofy would pop in and everyone would joke and smile at their silly quirks. In the meantime, I would sit in the corner and do absolutely nothing, because I feel that I could care less about this place. Leon and the others know me better than I know myself and I understand that. Even so, I cannot bring myself to accept it. So to prove them wrong, I'd go out on long walks and drink in the surroundings as though I didn't give a care about this world.

To be perfectly honest, though I didn't express my thoughts to Leon, I think that everyone is doing a fabulous job. All around me, the tall formidable fortress walls remain, but in every corner I can see little bits of water trickling through little slits in the wall to feed the thriving flowerbeds. And it's hard to see the great blue stones that make up these walls because morning glories grow over them in masses of green, blue and white. People jostle past me and I'm a bit overwhelmed because three years ago, there was absolutely no one on the streets. In spite of my detachedness I continue to walk on.

It is one of those days when the summer heat was just too strong, and the one long sleeve on my right arm has become just unbearable to the point where I'm given no choice but to rip it off. My fingers feel sticky inside my black gloves, but if I take it off, it feels as though I'm naked without them. So they stay on. Today, I was to meet Leon in a tiny little bar just north of Merlin's home, just for the sake of chatting among old friends. Tonight, it's just to two of us. In Leon's hand he clutches a tumbler with ice and straight-up vodka, which he doesn't seem to touch his lips to the glass. As for myself, my fingers curl around a simple bottle of beer. Together we stare off into space saying nothing. Off to the distance, I can see the bartender slowly wiping off the edge of the long table. Someone had puked all over the table and his brow is wrinkled in disgust.

At nighttime, Radiant Garden is cool, but not cool enough to walk around in long sleeves. Leon is slowly rotating his cup and staring into the clear liquid with an unreadable expression on his face. In the meantime, I'm sitting there pushing my bottle around, trying to create invisible patterns on the table. When the silence becomes absolutely unbearable, I stop nudging my bottle about and take a sip before nipping Leon out of his silent condition.

"So…" I cough then I clear my throat. My voice comes out raspy and raw because I haven't used as often as people like Sora or Yuffie. "How're things going in the Restoration Committee?"

My friend looks up at me as though antennae had grown out of my head and he snorts. I'm not sure if he's doing that because he disapproves of my seemingly apathetic nature, or if he's humored by my comment. So I shoot him a quick glance. Leon's face remains calm and emotionless as always, though I think I can see a small trace of a smirk on the corners of his mouth. The older man doesn't take my comment seriously, but answers anyway.

"They're fine. Cid, Merlin, and Yuffie are almost always arguing as the usual."

"I see."

I peer down at the top of my bottle trying to see the bottom, but I can't. The lights in the bar are too dim and the bottle is too dark to make out the small spidery lines. So I give up and instead stare out again at the people walking by on the streets. That is when Leon's voice jerks me out of my thoughts.

"Any luck in finding Sephiroth?"

I shake my head.

"No. Back when we returned to our own world, he just disappeared. Tifa says that I probably defeated him, but I know he's still out there. I can feel his darkness lingering in my heart."

Leon says nothing for the longest time, but he nods understandingly.

"How's Aerith doing?"

I've been away for so long, and when I came back, I cannot erase those wide green eyes of Aerith's when I showed up on Merlin's front door, a little bed ragged, but the same nonetheless. Sneaking another look at Leon, I struggle to keep my face even. It must have worked because Leon reaches over and nudges me in the ribs with a small chuckle and the shake of his head. He's a bit different since the last time I saw him. Sora must have been affecting Leon and I envy him for the slight changes that came upon such a stern man.

"Don't give me that face. Aerith is fine. She's a little worried that you're still down in the dumps, but she thinks that Sora and the others could cheer you up."

This time I let a poorly-constructed humored laugh escape the throat and take a small sip of my beer. It burns down my throat, all the way into my stomach and I wince a little. You see, I'm not that much of an alcoholic, so my body isn't exactly used to the bitter, tangy liquid. Leon looks up at the clock overhead and then pushes his glass away from him before standing up. He's only finished a third of his drink and I'm not surprised. My old friend isn't that much of a drinker himself.

"Looks like it's time for my shift. Yuffie should be headed back to Merlin's by now. You coming?"

I nod and leave the dark brown bottle on the table for the bartender to take care of and we step out into the coolness of Radiant Garden. Tonight, the sky is clear and the stars are out twinkling and winking down at us. So far, the worlds are at peace. Leon's shoulders visibly relaxes as he hoists his Gunblade on his shoulder and flexes his fingers over the wide handle. We head towards Merlin's home and sure enough, as Leon predicted, Yuffie is bouncing up the stone steps, with her stylishly cut black hair bobbing. She spins on her heels and waves enthusiastically to us before yanking the heavy wooden door open and letting herself in.

As soon as we step through the door, Sora catapults himself onto us flanked by Donald and Goofy. I note with a tinge of self-righteousness that Sora is as tall as I am now and he's also grown a lot stronger than three years ago. I stumble on my feet and avoid landing uncharacteristically on my rump when Donald and Goofy latches onto me. The questions fly like bullets from a machine gun. A little behind me, Leon is busy giving Sora a friendly pat on the back; perhaps a little too hard, and I see a glint of mock vengeance in his eyes as the eighteen-year-old kid coughs and sputters comically. The boy certainly hasn't changed.

Slowly, I untangle myself from Donald and Goofy's arms and the questions continue to fly at me. I can't exactly make out what they're trying to say, but I'm sure I hear something about Sephiroth. So I answer them like I've answered Leon's question earlier. Donald and Goofy seem satisfied enough. Sora, now finished with his encounter with Leon comes over to me and sticks his hand out for me to take. Instead, I reach over and ruffle his spiky hair with all my strength and he scowls. That doesn't stop me. The others laugh and I crack a tiny mirthless smile.

"H-hey c'mon Cloud, cut that out, you're messing up my hair!"

"Gwarsh, I didn't know Cloud had a sense of humor." Goofy muses and even Donald agrees. Everyone bursts out laughing, except myself. I think I feel a frown deepening on my features.

While Sora is carefully rearranging his hair, Merlin conjures up punch bowls and cups with a tray of sandwiches and Goofy is delighted. Everyone takes a sandwich, and I'm about to make myself the odd one out, when my stomach does a strangely familiar twist, so I take one and a cup of punch. In the meantime, everyone moves over to the small tea table Merlin arranged, everyone except Leon. He tells the others that he has to make his usual rounds in Radiant Garden and waves to everyone else before heading out the door. Sora, Donald, and Goofy sigh, but Cid brings their moods up by changing the subject to how beautiful Radiant Garden is coming along.

I, in the meantime, take up my usual spot in the corner and take a bite of my sandwich. It tastes amazingly good and the punch is pleasantly sweet and bubbly in my mouth. Sora asks everyone if I'm always like the way I am, and Yuffie shakes her head and shrugs her shoulders before casting me a devilish smirk. Cid gives me a wry look before explaining to the three heroes: "Cloud will be Cloud. Y'all know that, so why even bother askin'?" A look of comprehension dawns on Sora's face. I fight the urge to smack my forehead. Perhaps Leon's antics were starting to rub off on me the way Sora did to him.

Leon does not reappear that night, except maybe briefly. From my corner, I listen to him explain about someone having spontaneously popped up by his front door. The peaceful party breaks up, and surges of people begin to press Leon for answers with their questions. Questions like, "Does that mean the worlds are falling into Darkness again?" and "Do you think Radiant Garden might fall into despair again?" To mine, and everyone else's relief, he shakes his head. But that relief is quickly taken way when he tells us he doesn't know. Slowly I rotate my head out the window to gaze up at the stars. They're shining brightly, which means the worlds are still at peace and I hold my breath. Those stars better stay that way.

After his explanations are done, he is out the door. Quietly, without anyone noticing, I follow him out the door. As suspected Leon's instincts are quick and he turns on me with his weapon held out. When he sees me, he lowers his blade before hefting it on his shoulder like he always does. I cross my arms across my chest and stand back on my heels. My eyes must be burning with suspicion, because Leon sighs and asks me what I want. Staring at him, I struggle to find my own reasons for acting the way I'm now. Before I draw a conclusion, I speak up.

"There is something wrong, is there?"

"No. Everything's as I explained to the others."

I nod my head not wanting to push Leon for more answers. Usually, trying to force answers from him only strengthens his resolve to keep his mouth shut. He'll know when to start confessing. Though unsatisfied with his half-ass answer, I turn on my heels and begin to walk away.

"Cloud," Pausing, I turn my head in his direction, but I'm not exactly meeting his eyes, "Mind if I stay with you for the night?"

This time I turn on my friend completely and I must look awfully confused because Leon comes up with an excuse. I try to wonder why, but I shrug it off and smile a little bit before nudging my head in the direction of my hotel room. Leon quirks a little bemused smirk, and together, we head off towards the marketplace. In the back of my mind, I try to come up with logical reasons as to why Leon suddenly asked me for such a favor. As a grown man, he can take care of himself. The darkened streets of Radiant Garden shouldn't scare him either. Shaking my head, I chastise myself for thinking too much and push my worried thoughts out of my mind. Perhaps that is the source of my darkness.

†

I meet her on a rainy day, several days after Leon asked me if he could sleep in my hotel room. Today marks the sixth day since he's been coming over and I'm starting to wonder if he's completely abandoned his own home. It should be more comfortable, considering that his home has a real bed whereas here, he insists on sleeping on the couch.

Outside, the air is dry and much colder. Due to that, I put my longer sleeve on over my left arm. Oh well, my right arm will have to suffer. Today I am following my tedious routine of wandering around Radiant Garden doing absolutely nothing. That morning, Yuffie scolded me for being a selfish pig and the others just laughed it off. Maybe I am. Then I see her hovering by the bread shop. She is struggling with a bunch of other goods and is wearing a pale green dress with white lace peeking out from the hem of her dress.

My stomach protests softly, not because I've suddenly become infatuated. It takes much more than seeing random girls to make me fall in love; I'm hungry. Hence, I decide maybe I should get myself some sweet bread and maybe a bottle of soda—they are the cheapest to get. The mental argument ensues and eventually, my stomach wins. I head over to the stand, my blonde hair is dripping wet, but I don't really care. They'll dry up soon enough. That woman, with her long, red hair pulled back into a simple ponytail is making small talk with the shop owner, who is a young man around nineteen and I can see that he is blushing visibly. He doesn't even glance in my direction, not until one of the eggs resting unsteadily on the woman's basket falls off and hits my leg with a loud splat.

She whirls in on me, her clear blue eyes wide with horror at the gooey mess of yellow slithering down my lap. Immediately, her hand flies to her mouth before she is struggling with all her grocery to find a handkerchief. I silently motion her to stop and tell her I'm fine, but that does little to erase the look of guilt on her face. Ignoring her, I turn to the boy behind the counter and ask him for three biscuits and a bottle of milk, which he automatically produces. Giving him the exact amount of munny needed for my supplies, I stand back under the shade and slowly nibble on my purchases.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I can see the woman finally manage to unhook herself from all those groceries before she holds out her bright pink umbrella with little yellow chicks printed all over it. I give her a hollow look.

"Here. You look a little wet."

"No thanks."

"Why not?"

"You look like you need it more than I do."

At first she cocks her head to the side and scruitinizes me, and then she laughs then shakes her head. "No I don't. With all these to carry, I'll get wet anyway."

"I'll carry them for you." The young bakery boy offers hopefully and she shakes her head.

"Oh no." She smiles sweetly. "_You_ need to watch your father's stand."

A look of comprehension forms on they young boy's face before it falls slightly. I try not to snort in disgust. The kid's looks about five years younger than she does. Then I vaguely remember the small crush I had on Aerith and she's a year older than I am, not that it makes that much of a difference. Mentally shaking my head, I advert my concentration away from the lightly bickering pair and onto the ghostly shadows of the buildings off in the distance beneath the curtain of whitish rain. Something gently whacking my stomach takes my mind off the scenery, and I see that irritatingly colorful umbrella with its laughing chicks printed on it. The woman is running off into the distance getting wetter and wetter by the minute. I blink and stare down at the umbrella and tell myself how hideous it is.

The young boy is craning his neck to see if he can still see the woman before he gives up and sighs loudly. By that time, I'm done with my biscuits and thank him before I head back into the rain still holding the umbrella in my hand but not exactly using it. I spend the rest of the day wandering around in the rain until I feel my body shudder under the cold. Then I stare down at the umbrella I'm gripping in my gloved hand and it's pretty damned tempting to open up. By the time I reach Merlin's home, the egg mess on my leg had washed off. Opening the door I step in and Aerith and Leon, who are watching Cid and Merlin in a game of cards, look up.

I'm not surprised when everyone's eyes travel to the pink umbrella in my hands before Yuffie crows with laughter from her spot next to Leon. Giving her my scariest toneless expression, I fight the urge to stuff a sock in her mouth. But the ninja ignores it and continues smacking the table with her palm. Wordlessly I thrust the umbrella in Aerith's direction and she looks up at me with eyebrows raised in an amalgamation of surprise and amusement.

"You're wet as a chicken in a rainstorm Cloud. Is it really raining that hard outside?"

"No."

"Then why didn't you use your umbrella?" Cit grunts from his spot. He just lost a stack of paper cards to Merlin and is now scowling.

"Some random lady gave it to me and told me to use it. I don't think pink suits me all that well."

Everyone, including Leon bursts out laughing and to my horror, Aerith declines my offer. So I lean it against the door and announce that I'm giving it to Merlin. The old wizard doesn't seem to mind too much and nods quickly as he places his cards down on the table. It's a straight-flush consisting of aces. The toothpick that Cid had been chewing in anticipation falls out onto his mouth and onto the table with a soft clatter. Thumping his forehead on his palm Cid lets Merlin carry away his little slips of paper. And that's all I know before I step back out in the rain. Before I do so, I pause and turn on Leon.

"Are you going to camp out in my place again tonight?"

"No. I'm going to stay with Merlin tonight. Sora and the others left not too long ago." He smirks. "At least he can conjure up an extra bed."

The others laugh again, but I don't.

I nod and then I am gone; down the blurred streets and back to my hotel room. On the floor next to my bed is a single suitcase. Crossing over to it, I ease it onto my bed and click it open. Knowing that I'll probably be stuck here for a while, I think it's high time to unpack. It doesn't take long for me to finish. I only have my pajamas, two extra changes of clothes, and a few underwear and socks. The clothes on my back is sticking to me uncomfortably, so I quickly strip out of them, take a quick shower and change into a new pair of clothes. My pajamas remain folded neatly and stacked on the table by the window. Outside, the summer rain continues to fall.

†

When the sun rises out of the sky, and pierces mercilessly into my eyes, I open them reluctantly and stare through the translucent white curtains at the sun's rays. They sparkle over the wet streets making them light up and glitter. No wonder they call this world Radiant Garden. Though I'd hate to admit it, Aerith's home world is truly breath-taking. In fact, it's so beautiful outside, I waste no time pushing myself out of my bed and washing up before pulling on my shoulder pads and other complicated gigs of my outfit into place. I take special care to clip my sword holster onto my back and I'm outside again.

As soon as I step into the sun, I run into Leon, who's on his way towards the bailey. Today, Leon is busy with committee work and he only has time to wave a quick greeting before he is off. I don't feel Sephiroth anywhere around this place. Maybe Tifa was right that I finally defeated the bastard… but I don't understand this hollow feeling in my heart. So I'm left with nothing else to do except ponder about it as I head towards the marketplace again. By the time I make it to the main entrance, I'm still seeking answers. The Marketplace is bungling with people now that the rain is gone and they are shoving past each other trying to get into different stores all at once. In the meantime, I'm jostled among them. In the distance I can make out a vaguely familiar redhead.

It turns towards my direction. Fearing that she might see me and start talking about her ridiculously cute umbrella, I duck off to the left and push through the crowd. I make my way towards the weapons and armor shop. The store is conveniently far from her and there are many interesting items to keep me busy. There are a few new things that I haven't seen in my life, such as a silk shirt that doesn't look like it'll do its wearer any good. The owner must have caught my suspicion because he steps up and explains to me that it's a _magical_ silk shirt, thus it counts as armor. Knowing some of the crazy things I've seen in this place, I nod and dismiss the subject without another word and continue gazing through other artifacts until I've thoroughly exhausted my eyes and move on to a different stand. This one is a bit more peaceful with loads of glowing glass balls and glittering cloaks. I don't say anything and raise my eyebrows at the bizarre array of items draped here and there.

After that comes a jewelry store with lots of necklaces earrings, bracelets, and other things foreign to my eyes and that is where I run into that same woman I met yesterday. Today she only has a small load of green onions, carrots and potatoes and is staring down at the little table lined with white faux fur while fingering a chain of blue, green, and white gems. I pause next to her and try to keep an eye on a pair of odd wiry metalwork the owner claims as earrings without shooting her a glance. Still trying to figure out how to get such strange contraptions into someone's earlobes, I finally tear my eyes way from the work of art.

I'm trying to glance at her in the morning sun without her noticing, when she taps me on the shoulder anyway. Her tap gives me a good scare for no good reason at all. Without meaning to, I jump. I've met far more frightening things in my life, why would a couple taps from an seemingly harmless young woman frighten me? Though I don't yell in surprise, my shoulders do jolt up quite noticeably too. And I guess there must have been an amusing expression on my face. She bursts out into friendly giggles.

"Is that strange piece of accessory that intriguing?" She asks, her voice is strangely more eloquent than I remembered.

"Uh… I guess so." That sounds like a pretty dumb response.

"It's not a strange piece of accessory," The moogle in charge of the store snaps irritably, "It's called an earring, and I think I've already explained that to the blondie over here!"

"Oh is it?" She looks genuinely surprised, but the moogle takes offense anyway.

"If you don't want anything from my store, then scram!"

"I never said it was hideous, it's just that…" When the moogle swats at her with his fly swatter, she trails off and before I can control myself, I am stepping in between the two. Before anyone else can react, the bright red plastic smacks me on the face. There standing out against my cheek is a bright pink mark. The moogle doesn't seem to be bothered by what he's done and he wags his insect swatter dangerously close to my face. To avoid getting hit square on my forehead, I grab the woman's arm and we're off. The moogle's angry cry rises up among the hub of the mid-morning shoppers.

We stop running until we're sure we can't see the marketplace anymore and the woman lowers her things on the ground to catch her breath. I'm resting my hands on my knees and bending over as I pant in the already warm atmosphere.

"Are you okay?" I ask the woman and she stops huffing and puffing before straightening her back and nodding.

"And you?"

"I'm fine."

"You sure? That moogle didn't look like he was kidding when he slapped you across the face with his swatter." She laughs and I find myself laughing with her and she points at my face before giggling into her fist. I blink at her.

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing… it's just that… your face…"

"My face?"

I think I frown both from confusion from the woman's explanation and the fact that she seems to squeeze words out of my mouth so easily. There is a puddle nearby and when I lean over, I cough loudly when I see the distinct mark of the swatter standing out bright red against my pale skin. Standing up I wave the thought away with my hand.

"It'll go away."

"Are you sure you can walk around like that without embarrassing yourself?" A nod from my part and she smiles into her fist before extending her arm out and introducing herself, "I'm Eira."

Staring at her pretty slender hands with its long fingers, I slowly take it and she gives my hand a surprisingly firm shake compared to her build. "Cloud Strife."

"Strife?" Another smile, "That's quite a bizarre surname."

"You're one of the first one to tell me that in my face."

Eira taps her chin thoughtfully before picking up her groceries again and she spins on her heels. The pretty onepiece dress she's wearing flares out slightly. Her eyes glint playfully as she begins to skip away from me. When she's several paces away from me, she twirls around and faces me again. I'm puzzled by her spontaneousness.

"You remind me of someone," She calls out.

"Who?"

"And I'm pretty sure you might know him too."

"What makes you so sure?" I ask, eager to find out who I remind her of.

"Because, your personality is a lot like his, except maybe he's a bit warmer and you're more chivalrous." She still doesn't give me a name and I ask for one. Still smiling innocently, she finally answers: "His name's Leon!"

Then she's gone. Eira is right, that does sound a bit familiar to me and I run down the list of men I know who spent a lot of time in Radiant Garden. It couldn't be Sora. The warmth in Sora's heart contrasts with mine like winter and summer, and Sora is much more gallant than I was. So Sora was out. Cid was too rough and though cruel he was, he was almost as warm as Sora. Merlin was polite, perhaps more so than myself, so it couldn't possibly be him either. Then there was Leon. True he shared the same name, but Leon is very common among males. I don't think he's any warmer than I am, and I am about to pass him over, when I realize that Leon isn't exactly the most open person on this world. Shaking my head I wander off again, perhaps she made a mistake. All that thinking gives me migraines anyway.

†

"Is it just me, or has Leon neglected to show up to dinner lately?" Aerith looks up to Yuffie who is chewing thoughtfully on her bread. So does Sora, Donald and Goofy. The three of them are back from visiting other worlds under the orders of King Mickey. I ignore her, but not her comment. If I think about it, it's true. I haven't seen Leon come for dinner in the past week. Completely oblivious to Cid, Yuffie continues, "I'll bet he doesn't come because _someone_ makes the weirdest food here." At that, Yuffie deliberately coughs in Cid's direction, only earning a good, hard glare from him.

"If you don't like my food, then get the hell out of here."

"Maybe Leon's gotten himself a girlfriend," Sora perks up brightly and everyone except him and me sniggers. "What?" He retorts defensively, "It could be true. He could be buying her romantic dinners right now!"

"You know, Leon isn't the most romantic person. I find it difficult to imagine him going to an expensive restaurant and burning a hole in his wallet. Most of the money he collects goes into Radiant Garden. Besides, he seems much too busy with the committee work."

By now, Aerith has finished serving everyone else and is seating herself between Merlin and me. Sora takes a sip from Cid's special everything soup. From what I've heard, he's put everything from tomatoes to chocolate chip cookies in here. I'm finding it hard to believe because it tastes a lot better than I had imagined after hearing Sora's description about it. I take another mouthful of the soup and swallow along with a piece of bread. I barely notice a piece of red that looks suspiciously like the remnants of a gummy bear. Yuffie sees this. The ninja glares at Cid and murmurs sourly to herself about Cid using all of her candy.

My expression must be quizzical, becasue Aerith quickly makes explainations.

"He's probably doing a few extra rounds of clearing out files…" Everyone has their eye on me and it's not very comfortable, "Maybe… anyway, Leon's a big guy, he can take care of himself."

The door is thrown open and Leon steps through with his Gunblade on his shoulder as though to confirm my guess. The seven pairs of eyes tear away from me, much to my relief, and glue on to Leon, who gives them an uncaring expression. In the dim candlelight, I can see a familiar fly swatter mark across his face, and there's something hanging out the side of his pocket. It looks like a soft, silver chain, which I probably couldn't see if I didn't look to carefully. Strangely enough it looks vaguely familiar. I feel a lump begin to form in my throat. Cid stand up and starts to give him a scoop of his special soup, but Leon puts up a hand to stop him.

"Sorry. I've already eaten."

On cue, peoples' eyebrows rise in amazement. Slowly, at the back of my mind, Eira's comment eats away at my brain.

†

I think I'm supposed to be surprised when I catch Leon handing that pretty piece of jewelry to Eira, but I'm not. Racking my brains, I try to find out why and what on earth possessed such a cool man to give things to a girl. Leon didn't even once bat an eye in the direction of Aerith, who is prettier than a bouquet of freshly bloomed roses. So I stand there, hidden behind a vine of wallflowers watching him unceremoniously shove that pendant Eira had been hovering over for the past three days and I'm trying to understand him. Well, Leon is as much as a man as I am, so I suppose it isn't wrong for him to like women. Shaking my head, I head down the street; I had been saving up munny to buy that for her. Yesterday, when I tried to get it, it had already been sold. All I got was another red mark on my face and a downpour of summer showers.

Inside my heart, there is a mixture of emotions: one of anger, one of shock, one of sorrow, and one of emptiness. I think I should hate Leon for it, but I don't think Leon knows my feeling for her and she obviously doesn't know either. I'm terrible at expressing my emotions, Tifa told me so and even I know it. Nevertheless, I try to take my anger out on Leon the next day.

He is coming out from Ansem's former study without his weapon and carrying a bunch of the city's blue prints when I pop out of nowhere and deck him in the jaw. Down Leon goes and the papers scatter in fright like white doves fleeing from a rabid dog. Leon is still on the floor wiping the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand and examining the blood on his arm when I reach down and yank him off the floor by his fur collar. A loud thump resonates through the empty corridors as I slam his back against the wall and bring my face close to his. Deep turquoise eyes meet my own blue ones rather nonchalantly. Though Leon regards me with calmness, the confusion is notable in his eyes.

Slowly, Leon reaches for my iron grip on his jacket's collar and he easily twists my hands off with a gruff jerk because my grip is firm. I don't want to release him, so I swat his hands away and weave my hands through his collar again and slam him against the wall a little harder than I meant to. Finally, Leon looks as though he's beginning to understand something.

"You do love her don't you? I didn't know you... sorry..." He starts off slowly. Leon never was good at apologizing to others, not that I was either but I liked to believe he is worse than I am. "Usually, I wouldn't be so selfish, but this time I'd like to ask you to please step out of my way."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

I know damn well what he's talking about, but I ask anyway, because I have nothing to say to infuriate myself.

There is a knowing glint in Leon's eye and though I don't loathe it, I force myself to hate it with all my heart. I wring his collar in my fingers once more and slam his back against the wall again. It shudders behind him and a shower of dust, sand and pebbles rain down on us. Leon coughs a bit but I don't. I shake the dust off my hair and find that I'm visibly grinding my teeth in anger. So I try to relax my facial muscles, but I can't. Before I know it, Leon pushes me hard and I stumble backwards and glare at him. Dusting his front resolutely, and shaking the white from his brown hair, Leon is about to walk out on me but I won't let him get away so easily. With a loud cry I run at him and tackle the older man by his middle and we go tumbling into the ground in a jumble of fists and blood.

I think I do most of the hitting. Leon only punches me back to get me off his face, but the Rockhopper Penguin in me is out and I mercilessly cling to him. He tries to get up, but I scramble to my feet and throw him a punch and down he goes again. To be perfectly honest, I don't know why I'm hitting him either. The strange thing is that every time I look into Leon's eyes, it ignites a vague sense of anger. Finally, it seems as though Leon's had enough and there is a flash of pain on the side of my head. Down I go and even though I'm trying, I find that it's hard to get up. I'll have to admit, he has a couple more years on me in fights.

From my position on the carpeted floor, I glare balefully up at Leon, whose handsome face is horribly marred by all those hits I gave him. Secretly, part of me feels terrible and the other half seems pleased. Maybe Eira won't like him when she sees all that blood on his face, but I know better. Even by simply looking at her I can tell she isn't a shallow woman. She chose to love Leon despite that hideous scar on his face. A scar that detracted quite a bit of handsome points from him. Leon seems to glare back at me and I don't blame him. I'd glare at someone who beat me up like that too. With one last firm dust of his front he bends down and gathers the dispersed papers. He is gone leaving me to contemplate my rash behavior. Even after hitting Leon with all my might I still can't bring myself to hate him.

I think I hate myself for it.

†

The next time I see Eira, she's wearing that godforsaken pendant around her neck with a stark white sundress made from sheer cotton. She is hovering by the Dairy store picking up different kinds of cheese when I make up my mind to go over and talk to her. As soon as she sees me, she whirls around, that pendant winking and jeering at me. It is a haunting residue of a man whom I once called friend many times and vise versa. I'm certain that Leon hates me, and that I hate him too. Or perhaps I'm too drunk on the darkness I tried to exploit four years ago.

At any rate, she sees me and grins in a carefree manner that looks more beautiful than a shining angel. Like Tifa, Eira is full of light. As I expected, one of the first thing she does is show off the pendant and explain to me that Leon got it for her. Then she goes on gushing about how she was surprised that the man even thought of her at all. I try to smile, but the corners of my lips don't quite turn up how they're supposed to. Instead, they do the opposite—or so I think because there isn't a hint of concern in Eira's shimmering orbs. We stand there and talk, and I feel as though we're catching up on with life like two old friends. It's as though I haven't seen her in ages even though the last time I've seen her had been yesterday.

Finally she seems to notice that something isn't quite right about me and I feel my shoulders start to tense. I've never been very good at expressing myself and I disliked confrontational conversations. The whole time I had been worried that somehow or other she suddenly ask me why I felt so bad. _It's not that she's doing it because she was nosy,_ I reason to myself. No, she thinks of me as a good friend. For a while I hold my breath and wait for those scalding words to come out, but instead she peers curiously into my blue eyes before changing the subject to what kind of cheese she wants to buy. My knots in my stomach loosen as I clear my throat and try to at least look as though I'm thinking carefully.

I am pleased to know that my ruse worked, for Eira takes her eyes off me and begins pointing out different kinds of cheese to the vendor, who more than happily plops all kinds down in front of her. Automatically, the slightly putrid odor of the cheese wafts up into my nose and I try to help her. Deep in my mind, I hear a tiny little voice urging me to pick something that Leon doesn't particularly like. It isn't too long for me to be horrified with myself. Unfortunately it is true, I can feel my darker side scheming to pull Eira and Leon apart, though somehow it is doubtful to say that they're a couple. Yes, even the pendent doesn't make anything official.

Before my scheming side takes over I quickly point at the Swiss cheese. Leon doesn't mind Swiss cheese, and I remember because he always orders his burgers with Swiss and not cheddar.

"Leon isn't too fond of cheese, but he likes to eat his sandwiches with Swiss."

"Really? I guess I'll just take three kilograms of the Swiss cheese then."

Nodding, the vendor whips out his knife and cuts off a small piece before placing it on the scale. The arrow jiggles and dances merrily as he takes its measurement. He takes the piece off the scale and wraps it up in wax paper before handing it to Eira in a brown paper bag. "That'll be thirty-five munny, miss." She takes the bag and pays the vendor and waves goodbye to me before heading down the marketplace. I notice Leon moving sluggishly among the crowd and find myself quickly pretending to be interested in a set of teacups and feel relieved when he doesn't notice me. An old lady who looks grandmotherly comes up and asks me if there's anything she can do to help and I shake my head no.

"Just looking around."

"Well then, take your time, dearie."

When I am certain I'm directly behind Leon, I watch wistfully as he spots Eira pushing through a group of sour-looking burly men. One of them turns on her and grins with a mixture of anger and interest, revealing his bright yellow teeth. Eira smiles sweetly and tells him she's sorry before she starts to head towards the residential district, but the man claps his hand on her shoulder and sneers at her. In an instant, I forget that I'm trying to stay out of her relationship with Leon and I push past my friend to rush to her aid. It isn't until I clamp my hand down on his shoulder when I realize what I'm doing. The man grunts and fixes his brown eyes on mine, and whacks my hand off.

"Buzz off kiddo, I'm busy here!"

"Leave her alone."

Laughter erupts from the man. His booming voice that is scratchy as though he had just swallowed a bucket of rusty nails. I've fought men hundreds of times stronger than him and am not afraid. I dust my wrist off as though his fingers are plagued with some kind of deadly germs and he is agitated. In a speed much faster than I had anticipated, he grabs the front of my shirt and pulls me off the ground. His breath smells like a mixture of beer, cigarettes, and something else that is unpleasant.

"And just what is her little boyfriend going to do if I don't?"

"I'm not her boyfriend."

His goonies burst out in mad drunken snickers as the man's angry scowl slowly transforms into a conceited sneer.

"If you ain't her boyfriend, then why don't you do us a favor and mind your own business!"

Then his fist swings forward to smash my nose, but a stone comes flying out of the blue and smacks into the side of his head. He grunts in pain and I can see a trickle of blood. I turn my head in the direction the rock came from, and Eira is holding a bunch of little stones and is now pelting them at him. "You leave him alone!" She shouts bravely. _Thunk!_ Another piece of hard cement rams into the man's shoulder, but it bounces harmlessly off his armor and clatters uselessly onto the ground. I take advantage of his distraction and twist myself out of his grasp before delivering a swift punch at his jaw. The man stumbles and glares at me before nodding his head at his henchmen.

Before I know it, they grab hold of Eira who struggles uselessly against them. She sinks her teeth into one of their arms, but is rewarded with a good hard slap across her face. I try to run over to her aid, but the man picks me up by the collar and throws me like a rag doll. It's not that hard to flip my body through the air and land on my two feet again. To be perfectly honest, this guy is small fry, but somehow, with Leon pushing his way through the growing crowd, I can't bring myself to concentrate and I feel a punch in my jaw. Somewhere in the distance I think I hear Eira gasp in horror and the mad scoffing that crackles cruelly from my temporary opponent. I feel his sweaty and dirty hands dragging me back to my feet before another blow than makes my brain freeze up. What's wrong with me? I know I'm better than this, maybe if Leon disappeared then I could knock the bastard down with one solid punch.

"What's that sword on your back for? Compensation?"

His companions howl with laughter and I hate them.

Another hit, this time in the stomach and I stumble my mind reeling about the thought of being unable to protect a girl. I feel another swift kick coming but it stops under the powerful voice of Leon.

"Knock it off."

"Who the hell are you?"

"That's none of your concern."

"Why are there so many damned kiddies not minding their own goddamned business today? I'd buzz off, if I were you. Can't you see—"

The man never finishes his sentence because Leon whomps him good in the nose. Blood spurts out and the man is rolling around on the floor howling in pain. Though Leon is not exactly glaring at me, I get the sinking feeling that he's annoyed with me and I sarcastically congratulate myself. Meanwhile, the others release Eira and ball their hands into fists throwing pathetic insults at Leon, who merely gives them his Leon-eye. Eira is running towards me and trying to ask me if I'm okay.

"Let's go."

"But Leon, he's hurt!" She protests, I try to smile, but my lips feel numb from being socked in the jaw. It's painful to smile, so I just try to wave her away, but she persists and Leon doesn't look too pleased. Secretly, I'm happy that she at least cares for me enough to stick around and check my face. Four of the henchmen step forward to take action, but Leon's glare spooks them and they grab their boss before hightailing it out of there. "Here, let me see your face."

I shake my head and wave at her to go.

"Cloud will be fine. He's a grown man, he can take care of himself."

A cold hand comes out from nowhere and closes around my heart. I don't remember Leon talking to me in such a cold way. Sure, his pitch was always monotone when he spoke, but never had I felt the venom dripping from his voice as I felt at the moment. For a second, I fear that he might come and whomp me too, but he doesn't. Instead, he stands there and sends the crowd away with a curt, "Play's over." Citizens of Radiant Garden hurry back to their businesses. Quickly, I turn my head away from her to hide my wounds, but she grabs my face in her hands and forces me to look at her.

Her hands are smooth like marble and velvety like the petals on a rose. I hold my breath and try to calm the beating of my heart, I think if I sit here long enough, she might be able to hear it. Heat slowly begins to creep into my face and I'm hoping that I'm not blushing. "Look at that! Does that look okay to you?" Eira momentarily forgets about my injuries and angrily jerks my face in Leon's direction a little too hard. I wince slightly. A look of guilt flickers through his eyes yet his face remains calm and composed; but Leon is shifting from one foot to the other. That is a tall-tale sign that he's not exactly comfortable. After a while he reaches into his pocket and withdraws a small vial filled with bright green liquid and thrusts it in my face.

"Here, take some potion… and thanks for sticking up for Eira."

He shoves his hands into his pocket and slowly makes his way towards the bailey. I can tell by his posture that he's not angry at me anymore. Slowly, I straighten my back so that I am standing up tall and I down the potion in one gulp. It tastes horrible and I try to avoid using any form of magical liquid because of that fact. I feel my skin sealing itself. Soon, the bruises and the swelling starting to go down. Eira puts a gentle hand on my shoulder and looks up at me with concern sketched in her lovely eyes.

"Go. I'm fine."

To prove that I'm not hurt anymore, I turn my head about and let her inspect it carefully. She nods and apologizes to me for putting me in a sticky situation and I tell her not to worry about it. Casting me one last glance, she hurries after Leon before thanking me about a million times. As she bids me goodbye, I watch her run down the street and that I when I get a strange tingling sensation in my heart. It doesn't take me long to figure out that no matter how hard I try, I can't bring myself to hate Leon, and I realize that he could never hate me too. I love Eira, but I'm positive that she only sees me as a friend. Leon is the only one who occupies her heart, and I don't ever want to make her sad. So I let her go, because I love her and I care for my friend Leon. I watch her wiggle her white fingers into the crook of his arm.

Standing there and watching the couple grow smaller and smaller, I begin to feel more and more lonely, but my heart feels as though it had been liberated from a long, grueling battle. I wonder how it would have been if Leon ended up despising me. It's possible that that would have made it much easier to hate him. Slowly, I dust my shirt off and turn to go in the opposite direction. As I walk back to my hotel, I ask myself, why? Why the hell did it have to be Leon? In the end of my internal warfare, the darkness in my heart lost. Somehow, I feel kind of hollow, but that's okay. As long as Eira's happy, that's all that matters to me. Perhaps fighting Sephiroth won't be as hard as I thought so before.

* * *

And it's done. I understand it's not the best story in the world, but you can always help me improve it by sending in reviews. 


End file.
